"The problem with the Executive Order is that it also grants the DHS new authority to seize private communication facilities when necessary and to effectively shut down or limit civilian communications in a national crisis, said the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)."

That should alarm anyone, right, left, or middle. That's taking out both the 1st and 4th amendments in one swipe.

"The problem with the Executive Order is that it also grants the DHS new authority to seize private communication facilities when necessary and to effectively shut down or limit civilian communications in a national crisis, said the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)."

That should alarm anyone, right, left, or middle. That's taking out both the 1st and 4th amendments in one swipe.

It's bad enough when there's an emergency and everybody's first reaction is to reach for their phones and swamp the networks. Can you imagine the chaos if such a blackout was triggered deliberately?

As for radio, I'm not worried about this affecting hams in the least. This isn't WWI; we're so far down on the list of awareness I doubt they'd even bother.

It's bad enough when there's an emergency and everybody's first reaction is to reach for their phones and swamp the networks. Can you imagine the chaos if such a blackout was triggered deliberately?

I'm not certain, but I do believe I've read that local authorities can have cell providers reserve spectrum for local officials and emergency responses, keeping out the general public as needed ... and that they have done so at times. I think I recall hearing that it was done in Chapel Hill some years ago. (I might be wrong; it's certainly happened before.) That sort of plan certainly sounds logical on the "greatest good" principle.

And I agree with you--if the local authorities have trunked 800MHz systems and a lock on the local cellphone channels, they're not likely to want that little chunk of 30 meter spectrum where I'm trying to work 5J.

SB QST ARL ARLB018ARLB018 Executive Order Poses No Threat to the Amateur Radio Service

On July 6, 2012, the White House released an Executive Order that addresses National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) communications functions of the federal government. Contrary to some concerns raised in a few Amateur Radio circles, the Order does not appear to contain any threat to the Amateur Service or its ability to continue support communications during times of emergency or disaster. It also poses no threat to amateur spectrum.

"The purpose of the new entity, which would be created by this Order within the Executive Branch, appears to be to plan for future NS/EP communications and to insure survivability, hardness and interoperability, as well as to develop a long-term strategic plan for NS/EP communications," said ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND. "Based on the Amateur Service's ongoing, positive working relationship with officials at the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency Communications, it is hard to envision that any new management plan would not include Amateur Radio. Nothing in this Order directly affects Amateur Radio's daily operations."

The system includes a number of programs, such as the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS), which allow federal agencies to access telephone and wireless service in the event of high-outages or services disruptions.

I think the ARRL position is naive. If someone wanted to shut down communication, an executive order permitting the seizure of private radio facilities and equipment would be a way to do it. I lived through Watergate, so I'm cynical about stuff like this. Remember when BART shut down cell traffic? How about the national "test" a few months ago?

Sorry, I'm just not comfortable with ANY department (non-partisan here) having the authority to just take possession of private equipment without due process.

It maybe that from this side of the pond, I have a cynical attitude regarding all government agencies. The probability of ANY of them knowing enough to do ANYTHING in such an emergency is remote and it would fall to a very few local people - who would probably be ARES anyway!

Although I do remember reading that in some US floods (Red River? 1938?) some mayor tried to stop a ham sending emergency traffic because it made the township look bad. Somebody find teh details....

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